Across the Universe

Aroview: Thirty-three tunes from the Beatles songbook are excitably re-constituted for this lavish 'jukebox' musical that threads together a story of cross-class, trans-Atlantic romance and youthful idealism during the Vietnam war era.

Wildly ambitious and borderline excessive, the top-heavy production serves to emphasize the triteness of the story though it certainly delivers on a visual level and the core cast of Wood, Sturgess and Anderson have the requisite sparkle. But its success rests on the musical numbers and they vary wildly - some are exhilirating and pitch-perfect, some indulgent, some indifferent, and some just fall flat. Has divided audiences and critics and is sure to provide lively debate if not repeated viewings or listenings. Best to judge for yourself.

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